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Shailesh Chandra
Shailesh Chandra
Managing Director & CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd (TMPVL) & Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Limited
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2026 Tiago & Tiago EV Launched | What Changed, What’s Next For Tata? Interview With Shailesh Chandra

📅 May 28, 2026 OVERDRIVE 15 MIN 10950 VIEWS 45 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS
We caught up with Shailesh Chandra, MD & CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., to talk about the updated 2026 Tata Tiago and Tiago EV along with Tata Motors’ future plans. In this interview, he speaks about the changes made to the Tiago, the possible return of hatchbacks in the market, customer reactions to fast charging on the Tiago EV, growth in Punch EV sales and Tata Motors’ thoughts on alternative fuels like E85 and E100 ethanol. A detailed conversation covering EV adoption, customer trends and what Tata Motors sees for the future of mobility in India. Watch the full interview and...

What Shailesh Chandra said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO of Tata Motors, discussed the launch of the 2026 Tiago and Tiago EV, framing it as a response to the hatchback segment's decline. He noted that hatches lost share from 46% to 21% due to lack of updates, but a January 2025 model year update grew the segment by 20%. The new Tiago features a major facelift, digitized instrument cluster, 360-degree camera, wireless charging, and rear AC. For the Tiago EV, he cited insights from 75,000 customers covering 2 billion kilometers, leading to a fit-for-purpose positioning rather than more battery. He claimed the Tiago EV is a financial asset, with price recoverable through fuel savings in 4 years. Fast charging increased by 40%, enabling 100 km top-up in 18 minutes. On ethanol, he discussed E20 implementation and E85 challenges. He maintained a 15-20% EV penetration forecast, despite bookings jumping 2-2.5 times recently, and noted the new Punch EV saw bookings jump 5-5.5 times.

Key takeaways

  1. Tiago EV is positioned as a financial asset, with price recoverable through fuel savings in 4 years, after which it pays back the owner.
  2. EV bookings jumped 2-2.5 times in the last 2-3 months due to fuel price increases, but Chandra still holds to 15-20% EV penetration forecast.
  3. New Punch EV launch in February led to bookings jumping nearly 5-5.5 times compared to before the launch.
  4. Fast charging on Tiago EV increased by 40%, enabling a 100 km top-up in 18 minutes for intercity drives.
  5. Hatchback segment share fell from 46% to 21%, but a January 2025 Tiago update grew the segment by 20%.

Numbers and commitments

FigureWhat it refers toTypeAt
75,000 Tiago EV customers studied for next-generation design metric 5:51
2 billion kilometers Distance covered by Tiago EV customers studied metric 5:51
4 years Time to recover Tiago EV price through fuel savings timeline 7:37
40% Increase in fast charging capability on Tiago EV metric 9:09
100 km in 18 minutes Fast charging top-up capability for intercity drives metric 9:09
2-2.5 times Jump in EV bookings in last 2-3 months metric 13:13
15-20% EV penetration forecast for the country guidance 13:13
5-5.5 times Jump in bookings after new Punch EV launch in February metric 14:37
46% to 21% Decline in hatchback segment share metric 3:44
20% Growth in hatch segment after January 2025 Tiago update metric 0:35

Chapters

  1. 0:00New Tiago design and features
  2. 3:33Hatchback segment decline and future
  3. 5:43Tiago EV customer insights and positioning
  4. 8:53Fast charging improvements
  5. 10:30Ethanol and fuel policy
  6. 12:57EV penetration forecast and bookings
  7. 14:30Punch EV launch impact

Questions asked in this interview

8
  1. 0:03So what all has changed in Tiago other than the temperature here?
  2. 3:19But one big statement coming from you is, can we call it the return of the hatchback, or is this just a small correction?
  3. 5:43And what are you learning from the Tiago EV and what have you tried to address in this one?
  4. 8:53In this segment, what's customers' reaction to fast charging, because it's more costly?
  5. 10:30How do you see the ethanol conversation right now?
  6. 11:50And what do you think about E85 and E100?
  7. 12:57Do you think that is going to change?
  8. 14:30So this two and a half times growth, do you have specific segments like entry segment?
Kanti 0:03 ↗
Hi, I'm Kanti, welcome to Over Drive. The Tiago is here in its new avatar, and to talk more about that and overall Tata's future and strategy, we have Mr. Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO of Tata Motors. Thank you so much, sir. First thing first, I remember us walking in Goa talking about Tiago, and now we are discussing Tiago again, but maybe 43, 44°C. So what all has changed in Tiago other than the temperature here?
Shailesh Chandra 0:35 ↗
I think a lot. Let me give context to the thinking behind this major next-generation change. Two to three years back, we realized that customers were moving away from hatches not because they didn't want them, but because hatches lacked updates. When we launched a model year update of Tiago in January 2025, the hatch segment grew by 20%, showing customers respond to change. So we planned this big change. The new Tiago has a massive facelift on the exteriors, making it look wider, bolder, and more assertive. The interior is completely transformed, offering modern experiences you'd find in cars twice as expensive, with a digitized instrument cluster, 360-degree camera, wireless charging, and more.
Kanti 2:12 ↗
Mhm.
Shailesh Chandra 2:12 ↗
Of what otherwise you are getting in a car which is two times more expensive. So the dashboard treatment, screens, instrument cluster, 360-degree camera, wireless charging, and a host of features.
Kanti 2:37 ↗
Mhm.
Shailesh Chandra 2:37 ↗
Also, we realize that in entry cars, often the whole family uses the car, so the rear seat has been neglected. We have brought AC to the rear seats, improved thigh support and fabric. So significant change from the earlier Tiago.
Kanti 3:19 ↗
So I want to know more about that. But one big statement coming from you is, can we call it the return of the hatchback, or is this just a small correction?
Shailesh Chandra 3:33 ↗
It's more than that. It's a bigger fundamental question about what has been happening to hatches and what the future will be.
Kanti 3:44 ↗
Mhm.
Shailesh Chandra 3:44 ↗
See, one thing is clear: the intensity of action in SUVs is higher than in hatches. The natural evolution of customers is towards more premium cars. Car price inflation for the same model is only 3-3.5% CAGR, while retail inflation is 5.5% and personal disposable income grows at 9.5%. So people move upwards. The PV industry will grow at 6-8% CAGR from 4.7 million to 6.5 million in 5 years. Hatches' share has fallen from 46% to 21%, but it's stabilizing. Even at 21%, it's a 1 million market growing to 1.2-1.3 million. To retain share, hatches need upgrades like SUVs get.
Kanti 4:22 ↗
Mhm.
Shailesh Chandra 4:23 ↗
Personal disposable income is growing much faster than car inflation, so people move to bigger cars. Also, GST correction has reduced inflation. The industry will grow, and hatches can grow in volume if they are updated.
Kanti 4:52 ↗
Mhm.
Shailesh Chandra 4:52 ↗
Five years back it was a 2.7 million industry, now 4.7 million, and will be 6.5 million. Hatches' share has fallen but is stabilizing. Even at 21%, it's a 1 million market growing to 1.2-1.3 million. To retain share, hatches need upgrades.
Kanti 5:37 ↗
Right.
Shailesh Chandra 5:37 ↗
So slightly long answer to a simpler question, but this context needs to be understood.
Kanti 5:43 ↗
Understood. And what are you learning from the Tiago EV and what have you tried to address in this one?
Shailesh Chandra 5:51 ↗
When we thought about the next-generation EV for Tiago, we studied our 75,000 Tiago EV customers who covered 2 billion kilometers. We found they have predictable driving patterns: city runs, second car for school drops, or intercity use. They said they don't need more battery; they need a car fit for purpose. So we made it more accessible and promising. The Tiago EV is the only EV that is a financial asset because you can recover the entire price through fuel savings in 4 years. After that, it pays you back. So we positioned it as a fit-for-purpose car rather than a versatile one like the Punch EV.
Kanti 7:03 ↗
Okay.
Shailesh Chandra 7:03 ↗
Who are these customers? A school teacher who lives in a city but teaches 100 km away, a businessman who has a factory 100 km away and does 200-220 km a day. They save a lot of money. So we said, do you need more battery? No, it's fit for purpose. So rather than inflating features, we made it more accessible.
Kanti 7:36 ↗
Mhm.

22 more exchanges in this transcript

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Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX
APA

Chandra, S. (2026, May 28). 2026 Tiago & Tiago EV Launched | What Changed, What’s Next For Tata? Interview With Shailesh Chandra [Interview transcript]. OVERDRIVE. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1052253/

MLA

Shailesh Chandra. "2026 Tiago & Tiago EV Launched | What Changed, What’s Next For Tata? Interview With Shailesh Chandra." OVERDRIVE, 28 May. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1052253/.

BibTeX 
@misc{chandra2026_1052253,
  author       = {Shailesh Chandra},
  title        = {2026 Tiago \& Tiago EV Launched | What Changed, What’s Next For Tata? Interview With Shailesh Chandra},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, OVERDRIVE. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {may},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1052253/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}